Prior to April 10th to describe West Fork of Cold Spring Trail in one word, "bad" summed it up pretty well. Unsafe, dangerous, and substandard are other good adjectives that could have been used to describe trail conditions prior to April 10th, 2010.
The West Fork escaped any major damage during the Tea Fire in '08 but the Jesusita Fire last year burnt the trail from just beyond the Tangerine Falls cutoff all the way up to Gibraltar Road. The burn area also included all water sheds leading into the West Fork drainage giving it the potential to have massive water flow during the rainy season. Those heavy rainfalls came and during January this year the West Fork sustained heavy damage.
California State Trails Day was an event celebrated locally by the City, County, and USFS with assistance from ourselves, SBMTV, and the Trails Council. In years past events like state trails day, work efforts focused on cutting back brush, opening water bars, and repairing minor tread damage. Since the fires scarred the hillsides surrounding the trails, trail events have taken on a more urgent cause. Repairing washouts, severe rutting, and hillsides that slid over the trails are all standard problems we now face and will face until the hillsides grow back.
If it wasn't for the 30 or so volunteers that came out to help with this event the work could not have been completed- thank you to all that helped out. A special thanks goes out to the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch for donating the best tri tip and chicken in town to feed all the hungry workers. The trails are going to need your help for a long long time so stay involved! Don't forget about the next "Happy Hour" on Tuesday April 27th to repair Rattlesnake-Tunnel Connector Trail. - Dave
The West Fork escaped any major damage during the Tea Fire in '08 but the Jesusita Fire last year burnt the trail from just beyond the Tangerine Falls cutoff all the way up to Gibraltar Road. The burn area also included all water sheds leading into the West Fork drainage giving it the potential to have massive water flow during the rainy season. Those heavy rainfalls came and during January this year the West Fork sustained heavy damage.
California State Trails Day was an event celebrated locally by the City, County, and USFS with assistance from ourselves, SBMTV, and the Trails Council. In years past events like state trails day, work efforts focused on cutting back brush, opening water bars, and repairing minor tread damage. Since the fires scarred the hillsides surrounding the trails, trail events have taken on a more urgent cause. Repairing washouts, severe rutting, and hillsides that slid over the trails are all standard problems we now face and will face until the hillsides grow back.
If it wasn't for the 30 or so volunteers that came out to help with this event the work could not have been completed- thank you to all that helped out. A special thanks goes out to the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch for donating the best tri tip and chicken in town to feed all the hungry workers. The trails are going to need your help for a long long time so stay involved! Don't forget about the next "Happy Hour" on Tuesday April 27th to repair Rattlesnake-Tunnel Connector Trail. - Dave
Staging Area-West Fork Cold Spring Trail On Gibraltar Road
Hiking into Cold Spring Canyon
Storm Damaged Water Crossing in January
Same Crossing- Better Conditions
High Creekflow Washed Out This Section Of Trail
The Newly Built Support Wall Passes The 700 Pound Test-
From Left- Jim, Corey, Mondo, Dave
Kerry Kellogg From The USFS Leads Repairs On A Deep Crossing
One Of The Bad Washouts In January 2010
After
Volunteers Busy At Work
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